The Goop Lab and Network Spinal

If you’ve seen Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop Lab Episode 5 on Netflix — “The Energy Experience” — you probably remember people making strange movements with their bodies. I get asked about it all the time at Twin Waves Wellness Center. Clients want to know if it’s actually real. As a holistic chiropractor who practices Network Spinal, I can tell you it’s real. But I know it looks a little different than traditional chiropractic care. 

Episode 5 of the Goop Lab explores Network Spinal. In it, Gwyneth Paltrow and her team meet Dr. John Amaral, an energetic healer and holistic chiropractor trained in Network Spinal. Founded by Dr. Donald Epstein in the 1980s, Network Spinal takes a holistic approach to traditional chiro care. Here we’ll explore more. 

Goop Lab Explores Network Spinal Holistic Chiropractic Care

There’s zero cracking or popping in Network Spinal. Instead, this holistic chiropractic technique uses gentle touches along the spine known as contacts. An adjustment is referred to as an entrainment.  It’s not about forcing change. And it’s not just about your back. It’s a whole body approach to healing. It works with your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual energy. It helps your body tap into its inner intelligence. Reconnect to its natural rhythms. 

When every part of you starts to realign, that’s when deep healing begins. Network spinal contacts help the process. These light touches help release stored tension and trauma. Entrainments help restore nervous system function. It’s like inviting the body to revive from the inside out. My twin partner at Twin Waves Wellness, Dr. Suzanna, and I often describe it as your body learning how to heal itself.  

In the Goop Lab, Gwyneth Paltrow said it felt like a slate had been wiped clean. After her experience, she felt incredibly peaceful. She described the deep sense of calm we see every day in practice. After an entrainment, people often feel lighter. More grounded. Emotionally free. It’s because this holistic chiropractic technique helps release emotional patterns by moving emotional energy trapped in the body. 

Emotional Energy and the Body

In Goop Lab Episode 5, John Amaral mentions that our emotional energy gets stored in the body. It’s similar to what the landmark best-selling book The Body Keeps the Score talks about. Emotional pain lives in the body. When you can’t to deal with something in the moment, the body holds onto it. This could be physical pain. Stress. Emotional trauma. And stored trauma usually lands in the nervous system.

Here’s what happens during Network Spinal Care. The gentle contacts along the spine create new communication pathways between the brain and the body. As these connections become stronger, the body can process what it’s been holding onto. Then, it can release it. It could be trauma energy or something else. This emotional release is different for everyone. 

Sometimes it looks like tears. Other times it’s uncontrollable laughter. Many people make strange movements with their bodies. Some even made audible sounds. It’s all just energy moving. When this happens, your nervous system starts to shift. Away from the constant stress response. Replacing fight-or-flight with freedom. 

Is the Goop Lab and the Network Spinal “Energy Experience” Pseudoscience?

Since Episode 5 of the Goop Lab aired, people have questioned whether energetic chiropractic is legit. I get it. It looks different. So, is network chiropractic legitimate? Yes, Network Spinal is backed by scientific research. And it has a well-studied history. But when the word “energy” is used, some people think it’s too “woo-woo.” But energy is literally science. Think about atoms and electrons. You can’t see them. But you know they exist. It’s the same thing with the subtle energy within the body. Just because you can’t see it, it doesn’t mean it isn’t real. 

The Spinal Wave

In the Goop Lab episode, you might’ve noticed people’s bodies undulating or moving like a wave. This very real physiological process is called the network wave. It’s been extensively studied at the University of California, Irvine, and was first demonstrated by Dr. Donald Epstein. 

This spinal wave reorganizes spine and nervous system tension patterns. There are two types of waves: 

• Respiratory Wave: Connects the body to a sense of safety and breath
• Somatopsychic Wave: Moves energy to create transformation 

Each person’s wave is unique. Like a fingerprint. At Twin Waves Wellness, Dr. Suzanna and I see these waves as your body releasing stored stress. Of learning to self-regulate. Over time, you move from protection into presence. 

Why Does a Network Spinal Entrainment Look So Strange?

I hear this question a lot. And honestly, I get it! Seeing someone move, breathe, or make sounds during a network spinal entrainment can look strange. Especially if you’ve never experienced it. But it’s totally natural.

Think about a baby. They move. Stretch, Cry. Coo. Wiggle. All are ways of expressing what’s happening inside. Adults aren’t so different. We’ve just been domesticated. Taught to suppress our natural expressions. During an entrainment, sound, movement, or emotion is SO common. Dr. Suzzana and I remind people all the time that it’s okay to make noise. To move. These are natural expressions that occur during an entrainment. It means your body is finding safety again.

Will I Have the Same Experience?

Maybe. Maybe not. But probably not on your first visit. And that’s okay! The Goop Lab and network spinal episode had some big, dramatic releases. But not everyone experiences that on their first visit. Some people barely move at all. Others feel a wave of calm. Some cry. Others laugh. Many just breathe more deeply. Every experience is valid and unique.

Network Spinal is cumulative. Meaning each session builds on the last. The more consistent you are, the more your body releases. Healing takes time. So does regulating the nervous system. It’s like working out. You won’t see all the results after one visit to the gym. Small steps make up the entire journey. Over time, the nervous system learns to remain balanced. 

Final Thoughts

The Goop Lab and Network Spinal episode introduced millions of people to what we see every day at Twin Waves Wellness Center. It brought holistic chiropractic care to a mainstream audience. Demonstrated the body’s incredible ability to heal through gentle connection. Not force. No neck popping. Zero back cracking.  

Each entrainment invites your nervous system to awaken. Release. Reorganize. The “Energy Experience” isn’t about being fixed. It’s about remembering the power of your body. Then you tap into your innate inner healing. 

If you’re curious after watching Goop Lab Episode 5, reach out to us at Twin Waves Wellness Center! Come experience Network Spinal for yourself. We’d love to show you what’s possible when your body, mind, and energy start working together again.